Gruesome Torture Techniques From The Past That Will Give You Nightmares

People in the Middle ages used to give brutal punishments. They devised some horrible torture devices to punish the ones who have committed the crimes as well as those who were just accused of.

There was just no end to their cruelty.

Crucifixion

Crucifixion is one of the popular torture techniques of the Middle Ages as it is clear from the story of Jesus Christ. It is a painful method of killing in which the convict is tied to a huge wooden cross and left to hang for many days until ultimately dying from exhaustion and asphyxiation.

Rat Torture

Rats were used to kill a victim by stimulating them to attack and eat the humans alive. Rats were placed inside a bottomless cage, which in turn, was placed on the convict’s body and the other side of the cage was heated. The rat trapped by the heat end up eating the convict’s flesh to make way for itself.

The Brazen Bull

It was a torture device used in ancient Greece for execution. The vacant bull was made completely of bronze with a door on one side. The convict would be locked inside, and fire would be set under the bull, heating the bronze till the person inside got roasted to death. His screams were converted into the bellows of bull.

Flaying

Flaying, also known as skinning was a slow and painful method of execution in which the skin was removed from the body. This painful method of torture was practiced in Mesopotamia.

The Breaking Wheel

The Breaking Wheel, also known as the Catherine Wheel was a painful device used for giving capital punishment in the Middle ages. The convict used to be tied on the wheel and his limbs were beaten with a stick. The bones of the convict would slowly break with the turning of wheel leading to a painful death.

Impalement

Impalement is a very famous punishment practiced in the Middle ages. It is the method of execution in which the humans were penetrated with sharp objects such as stake, pole, spear or hook by total or partial damage to the body.

Crushing by elephant

It was a common method of capital punishment in South East Asia and India. Elephants were trained to crush the convicts in the public execution. Sometimes, the elephants were made to dissect the convict instead of killing him.

Raped by wild animal to death

Animals were used to kill the humans in the ancient Roman empire. Wild animals were trained to rape the woman and ultimately kill them.

The Saw

This was a form of torture in which an alive person was cut in halves through the central body mass. During the process of execution, the victim is kept in the position of upside down letting the blood to rush down to his head and then he is sliced by the saw.

Death by boiling

Death by boiling is a method of execution in which a person is killed by being dipped in a boiling liquid such as oil or water. This torture practice is common in Europe and Asia.

The rack

Designed to dislocate every joint of the victim’s body, it was believed to be the most painful form of Medieval torture. The Rack was a wooden platform with rollers attached at both the ends. The victims were tied on the rack and the rollers were strained to the uncomfortable dimensions.

Cropping of ears

This punishment was executed by cutting the ears of convict. In most cases, this punishment didn’t kill the convicted while in others, the convicts died due to infection of the injury.

Burning at the stake

This is one of the most common method of punishing people accused of disloyalty or magic, as it made a grand public execution and also cautioned people against committing such wrongdoings.